ECU’s bats came alive in Tuesday’s win over UNCW.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
The East Carolina Pirates (17-12-1, 3-3 American) erupted offensively Tuesday night, using a decisive six-run eighth inning to pull away from the UNCW Seahawks (18-10, 7-2 CAA) for a 14-8 victory at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
East Carolina set the tone early on the defensive side. Braden Burress delivered a highlight-reel play in left field to prevent an early run, and moments later, Walker Barron capped the inning by throwing out a runner with a 2-4-5 caught stealing to keep the game scoreless through the first.
After two quiet innings, UNCW struck first in the top of the third with a leadoff home run to right-center. The Pirates responded immediately in the bottom half, as Grady Lenahan launched a 404-foot solo home run to even the score at 1-1. The blast marked Lenahan’s team-leading sixth of the season.
ECU began to find its rhythm in the fourth inning. Colby Wallace worked a leadoff walk, and Matt Lashley followed with a single to put two aboard. Pinch hitter Davin Whitaker delivered with an RBI single to plate Wallace, and after Burress drew a walk to load the bases, Lenahan cleared them with a double to left field, giving the Pirates a 5-1 advantage.
The momentum carried into the fifth. Jack Herring opened the inning with a single before Wallace doubled to left-center to put both runners in scoring position. Barron executed a perfectly placed squeeze bunt for a two-run single, extending the lead to 7-1. Whitaker added to the surge with another RBI single, pushing the Pirates’ total to eight runs through five innings.
UNCW battled back in the sixth, stringing together hits and capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded to score three runs and cut the deficit to 8-4.
The Seahawks continued to chip away in the eighth inning. A two-run home run by pinch hitter Jackson Hood brought UNCW within two, and a double down the left field line plated another run to make it 8-7.
Facing a tightened margin, East Carolina answered emphatically in the bottom half. Burress reached on a walk to start the inning, and Lenahan continued his standout night with an RBI single. With two outs, Wallace drove in another run with a single through the left side, and Barron followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Austin Irby then delivered a two-run single to right field, and Whitaker capped the rally with his third RBI hit of the night, stretching the lead to 14-7.
UNCW added a solo home run in the ninth, but Alex Bouche closed the door with a strikeout to secure the win.
Lenahan led the Pirates at the plate, going 3-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Wallace added a 2-for-4 performance with three runs scored and an RBI, while Herring recorded two hits. Whitaker provided a spark off the bench with multiple key RBIs.
East Carolina returns to conference play this week, hosting Charlotte in a three-game series beginning Thursday, April 2. The series will run through Saturday, adjusted due to the Easter holiday.